AAA: Round Rock 6, @ Salt Lake (LAA) 2
Round Rock: 10 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 6 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 25-24, 4 GB, 62-61 overall
SP Gerson Garabito: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SO, 58 P / 37 S, 3.29 ERA
1B Blaine Crim: 2-4, BB, .273/.372/.437
LF Jax Biggers: 1-2, 3 BB, .277/.405/.396
The system managed a split on the day despite no homers and just three doubles from the offense.
I’d mentioned Justin Foscue’s baserunning prowess exceeding his (lack of) speed), and he rewarded me by advancing from first on a popup caught by the catcher no more than 30 feet from the plate. Foscue dutifully tagged and then bolted for second when Anthony Mulrine fell backwards making the catch. He would reach third on a wild pitch and score on a single. Daniel Robert pitched for the first time in three weeks, allowing an unearned run on two walks and a single in 0.2 IP.
AA: Frisco 3, San Antonio (SDP) 9
Frisco: 5 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 10 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 27-23, 2 GB, 71-48 overall
SP Emiliano Teodo: 3 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 4 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SO, 64 P / 33 S, 2.00 ERA
RP Josh Sborz: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 0 SO, 36.00 ERA
Emiliano Teodo needed 30 pitches to create and escape from a bases-loaded jam in the 1st. Cole Cummings, who doubled off Jake deGrom Thursday, connected on a 3rd-run homer against Teodo in the 3rd. Cummings would also double off Bryan Chi and plate two runners belonging to Josh Sborz, who retired one of four batters.
Hi-A: Hickory 0, Bowling Green (TAM) 5
Hickory: 3 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 8 walks, 15 strikeouts
Record: 27-26, 7.5 GB, 55-64 overall, elimination number 6
SP DJ McCarty: 4 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 84 P / 55 S, 4.26 ERA
RP Josh Mollerus: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 5 SO, 5.21 ERA
CF Dylan Dreiling: 1-3, BB, .205/.352/.273
SS Sebastian Walcott: 1-3, 2B, BB, .255/.342/.422
Top pick Malcolm Moore had a tough day at the office, striking out thrice in four hitless at-bats. His K rate in 13 high-A games is 36% compared to the 14% in his final college season.
Lo-A: Down East 3, Delmarva (BAL) 2
Down East: 6 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 24-24, 5.5 GB, 59-54 overall
SP Kolton Curtis: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, 70 P / 44 S, 2.64 ERA
DH Casey Cook: 2-4, .209/.286/.233
In the 8th, Esteban Mejia reached second on a walk and wild pitch and raced home on a Marcos Torres single to break a 2-2 tie. In the 4th, he scored from third on a dropped fly to left apparently shallow enough to invoke the infield fly rule.
20-year-old Kolton Curtis isn’t among the Wood Ducks with a gaudy SO:BB ratio, but he’s headed that direction in July and August, with eight walks in 35 strikeouts in 26.1 innings over that period versus 27 walks and 38 strikeouts in 47 innings through June.
DSL: Rangers Red win DSL best-of-three quarterfinal over Tigers 2 by scores of 3-4, 5-2, and 5-0.
SP1 Jormy Nivar: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 SO
SP2 German Nunez: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 H, 1 BB, 4 SO
SP3 Alejandro Chiquillo: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO
RP Moises Morales: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 SO
RP Yeimison Arias: 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 SO
2B Daniel Flames: 7-13, 2B
1B Jose Marcano: 5-12, BB, SB
3B Michael Guzman: 3-12, 2B, 3 BB
RF Andry Batista: 2-8, 2B, 5 BB
SS Curley Martha: 2-12, HR, BB, SB
The Rangers never trailed and won two straight after an opening loss. Well-regarded infielder Curley Martha, one of the 2024’s top signs, hit the team’s only homer to give a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning of the deciding game. Martha batted .282/.395/.427 in the regular season, spending most of his time at short plus some work at third. Flames spent most of his season with Texas’s other DSL squad (Blue) so he too could focus at short; he hit .329/.529/.400 overall. His 5th-inning double plated the first runs of Game 2. CF Paulino Santana, the top 2024 international signing, was hit less in the series after a .292/.465/.364 regular season.
In contrast to those three hitters, all 17 years old, the starting pitchers were 21 or 22 and at least 20 when signed. Nunez (2.89 ERA) led the league with 74 strikeouts (36% rate) versus only 11 walks in 53 innings. Nivar (1.76 ERA) walked only five and fanned 50 in 46 innings. The still-19 Arias completed Game 3; he posted a 4.64 ERA with three walks and 23 strikeouts in 21.1 innings.
Rangers Red had won their division with a 39-17 record, third-best in the league. They led the league in runs (7.46 per game) and were second iin all the slash stats (.278/.412/.398). They were 14th of 51 teams in runs allowed (4.68 per game) and first in strikeouts (11.7 per nine IP). Division mates Tigers 2 (38-18) were a wild card.
The Rangers are playing Boston in the semis.
Today’s Starters
AAA: C. Anderson
AA: Drake
Hi-A: Davalillo
Lo-A: TBA
Five Years Ago Yesterday
The rookie Rangers finished the season with a 33-22 record and first-half division title. “Heriberto Hernandez led the offense in (takes deep breath) average, OBP, slugging, hits (66), doubles (17), homers (11), walks (27), runs (42)and RBI (48). Pending today’s games, he’ll almost certainly lead the league in RBI, might end up with the most hits and could tie for the doubles lead. And he’s a 19-year-old catcher, albeit third in line at that position.”